Hudson maxim



(Nummer) l H. MAXIM.

'CARTRIDGE 120,547,222. Patented 00.2. 1, 1895.

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2o which are granular 4o arranged in series,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUDSON MAXIM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y?

CARTRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part'of Letters Patent No. 547,222, d ated October 1, 1895.

Application nea April 13,1395. serai No. 545.607. (Nomaden To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, HUDSON MAXIM, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at the city, county, and State of New York,

5 have invented certain new and useful Iniprovements in Cartridges, of which the following is a specification. y Y

This invention relates generally to cartridges for guns and the like, and more parxo ticularly to the powder or explosive charge for such cartridges, it being understood, however, that the charge may be manufactured and made an article of commerce independent of a casing or carrier and ready to be i5 combined therewith or to be otherwise used.

Theiinproveinent contemplates, preferably,

' the use of a powder-charge of an impervious nature-that is to say, impervious to, the gases of combustion-as distinguished from charges or friable in structure,

though of compressed or cake form, such iin-l pervious powder being, for instance, of the character described in my Letters Patent N o. 411,127, dated September 17, 1889, consisting z5 of an impervious colloid of pyroxylin made by means of a volatile solvent of the pyroxylin, with or without an admixture of nitro-glycerine and constituting an amorphous solid,

or mass, which, while in plastic condition, is

3o' capable of being shaped, molded, pressed, or

rolled to any desired form.

In carrying out myinvention this impervions powder-charge is formed, preferably', into more or less long rods or stri ps of anydesired shape and in cross-section, being either of round, prismatic, oetiker other form, each rod, piece, or strip having a plurality of parallel perforations extcndingcrosswise orftransverse of its length,.'theperforations being preferably the perforations of one series alternating with those in the other, and in this 'manner provide equal masses of the explosive between the perforations, so that during combustion, as the perforations grad- Lually enlarge, increased combustion-surface is presented and the entire mass or charge is finallyconsumed throughout its-extent simultzmeously. These rods, pieces, or strips may be formed of the required diameter, prefer- 5-o ablyapproximating the length of the powderchamber of the gun or in such lengths as will had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cartridge-charge embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Figs.3 to 5,in

elusive, are similar sections showing diderent forms of the charge. Fig. 6 is a like section illustrating a charge composed of a plurality of rods of any proper shape.

Referring to the drawings, the improvement is illustrated with a cartridge shell or case A, of any suitable form, having, for instance, a body portion a, which near its forward end contacts to a neck l, that is arranged to receive a ball or projectile B and a wad o, while the rear end of the shell has'a closed head c, providing a seat for a suitable fulminate-cap d, as is common.

The powder-charge C is preferably prepared in the form of a rod or strip of. any proper shape in cross-section andof a diameter that will permit the rod or strip to be readily loaded into the shell through the open end of the neck b, and ofa length suited to exten/.l from thehead c of the shell to its contracted or neck portion b, such neck, if thought desirable, atording a support for the charge to hold itin a central position with respect to the larger diameter or body portion aof the shell, and thus provide a surrounding chamberefor the passageof the initial Haine ofcombustion from the fulminate-cap to the perforations of the charge. This charge C is formed with a plurality of parallel perforations P, extending transversely through the charge or in a direction across the greatest length or axis of such charge. 'lhe perforations are arranged preferably in series, the perforations of one series alternating with those ofthe other, and thus a f' A 547.225

provide equal masses of the powder between the perforation's to insure the uniformconsumption of the entire charge.4

The improved explosive charge, i n addition j tothe well-known advantages incidentie-the use of long rods or strips1of powder approximating the length of the.powderchamber of 1 the gun, provides a st rncture perforated transprevents the charge from bein-g disrupted or y .broken up during combustion by the pressure of the gases"within the perforations, such disrupting action exploding the powder and bursting the rods or strips into fine-pieces. l

Some of the different forms which the rod or strip-like charge may take are shown in the drawings. Thus in Figs.'l and 2 the rod is cylindrical, in Fig. 3 it is square, in Fig. 4 it is prismatic, in Fig-5 it is hexagonal, and in Fig. 6 a'number of rods of any shape in cross-section are associated. together to Aform a charge for a gun or the like.

The manner of making' the perforated charge l consider immaterial; but it may be stated that the rod may be formed by pressing th'e material while in a. more or less plastic'condition through a suitably-shaped die, such rod being then perforated with the transverse h'oles and cnt into suitable lengths, or

#the explosive material may be rolled into sheets, 'the holes either being molded in the sheets or formed therein by suitable perforators and the sheet. cut into 'strips of a size adapting the strips to forma charge.

What l claim is- 1. A charge for a cartridge consisting of an explosive in the form of a rod or lstrips having a plurality tending at right angles to or transversely across its greatest length or axis, as set forth.

2. A charge .for a cartridge consisting of an explosive in the form of a rod or strips, having a pluralty'of parallel perforations extending a't right angles to or transversely across its greatest length or axis suchl perfothe other, as described. 3. A cartridge containing an explosive charge in the form of longitudinal rods or strips each having a plurality of transverse parallel perforations, whereby when the cartridge is inserted in the lbore of a gun said perforations will extend in a direction at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the bore.

In witness whereof I have'hereunto signed my name inthe presence of two witnesses.

HUDSON MAXIM. Witnesses: i f H. N. LAW,

G-Eo. H. GRAHAM.

of parallel perforations exrationsbeing arranged in series, the perforations in' each series alternating with .those in' 'ssv 

